As summer gets underway, Lincoln Center Institute’s (LCI) Imagination Conversationsinitiative is moving full speed ahead. A Conversation took place in West Memphis, Arkansas, on July 14, and another will occur in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, on July 27 and 28. More are planned for the fall in Indiana; Ohio; Colorado; New Jersey; South Carolina; Maryland; Minnesota; Nebraska; and Texas. For details, visit http://imaginationconversation.org. Read on to learn how the project is progressing. Continue reading →

Just a month ago, on April 19, Connecticut hosted an Imagination Conversation, and, to our delight, it will host a second Conversation this Monday, May 24. Steven Dahlberg, director of the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination, was inspired by the lively debate of the first event, which he hosted, so he proposed another one. This Conversation will take place 7:00–9:00 pm at The Studio @ Billings Forge in Hartford. The theme is “Unleashing and Harnessing the Imagination in Learning and Work,” which certainly sounds provocative. The citizens eager to delve into the importance and potential of the imagination are asked to bring their own “imagination story.”

“Connecticut has a long tradition of creativity, invention and innovation, but the current economic downturn and increased worldwide competition mean that we cannot take our position for granted. Now more than ever, we must nurture imagination in our schools, create environments for innovation in workplaces, and build cultures for creativity in our communities.”

Decidedly food for thought. Equally inspiring is the fact that Connecticut isn’t the only state that has decided to organize not just one but a whole series of Conversations: Massachusetts and Ohio have already done so. Here’s hoping the trend will continue.

The Connecticut Conversation will focus on education, community, and leadership, with an eye toward developing an innovative, state-wide agenda. As Dahlberg writes, “Creativity and imagination matter in every aspect of society. Imagination matters for engaging students and teachers in meaningful education. It matters for bringing new ideas into reality to improve the economy. And it matters for helping people express their creative capacities in their work and their communities. We hope to help connect people who want to tap into more of their imagination and apply it for creating positive change across this state.”

This event coincides with work that Dahlberg has been focusing on through a course he teaches at the University of Connecticut-Greater Hartford called “Creativity + Social Change.” Check out the Creativity + Social Change blog to learn what his students have been up to.